•*1* 



■244 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794; 



^V^ 



of their 'influence and power, in 

 order, at the same time, to intro- 

 duce eery where a coiiforn-jity to 

 their destructive precedents. 



To these charges Mr. Si.eridan 

 re]jlied, that it n eriled nn enquiry, 



• hnw far the iniquities of which the 

 French had bcrn guilty, were to 

 be ascribed to the character and 

 disposition of th? natives of Fiance, 

 or to the sentinieiits and examples 

 they had imbibed and copied from 

 their former government. 



Oilier members spoke for and 



• against li;e bill; which was carried 

 ■ after a long and tedious contest. 



It was opposed in the House cfi* 

 . Lords, on the same ground as in 

 that of the Commons. Among 

 other arguments, it was urged by 

 Lord Albeinarle, that it was br.d 

 policy to collect, under the same 

 standard, men of ditferent opini- 



• ons on the very subject for wiiicli 

 . they were brought together. The 



French, who Avere to be enrolled 

 for the serv'ce proposed, had emi- 

 grated at different times, and from 

 ditTprent n.otives, and were root- 

 edij avene to. each other's senti- 

 ments, i 



Lord Havrkesbnry, in defence of 

 . ihe bill, represented how little 

 could be apprehended froin so in- 

 considerablea body of men as 5(),000, 

 no more being allowed by the bill 

 to land in this country at a lime ; 

 and they were^not on any pretence 

 lo inove beyond live niilts from tlic 



. &ca. 



. . .The Duke of Bedford contei^dcd 

 with great ai.imat'on against the 



• compulsion exercised upon the 

 euvgraats, who were cal'ed upon, 



; luukr the penalty of disgrace, lo 



. take an active part in measures that 



i Biust leiid thciii to destruction. 



tiUtiier ways of pro\idie;; for ihe-c 



unfortunate people might havebeerr 

 discovered. Much had been held 

 out by ministers about the little 

 probability of Robespierre's cotl- 

 tinuing long in power but his fall 

 would at no time accelerate the 

 subverrion of the French republic : 

 it was founded en the consent and 

 support of millions, and by no 

 means depended on the life of one 

 single man. 



TheMarquisof Lansdownespoke 

 after the Duke of Bedford. He 

 warmly reprobated the idea of reta- 

 liation, and reminded the House of 

 the coiisequences it had produced 

 'in* Ar^efica. . Some of the einl- 

 grants, hetioliced, had expressed 

 their hope, tliat they would be 

 joined in France by large numbers 

 of tiie peasantry on the lands and 

 e:;lates formerly their own : but 

 was it likely that men, who had so 

 grievously ieltthe oppressions^ exer- 

 cised upon the rural classes under 

 the ancient government, would for- 

 get ihem, in older to return to the- 

 arbitrary subiection and servitude 

 in which they were held by'their 

 former masters.^ Ke had lately, 

 conversed with persons of probity 

 and information, who had, not long 

 since, had occasion to tiavel over ' 

 many parts of France ; and they , 

 pobhively asserted that the country 

 was in a more tiourishing state of i 

 culti\ation and the people in bet- 

 ter circuniotanres than before the 

 n;vf;hi:ion. He concluded by de-' 

 cl.iiiug himself .-n enemy to the 

 crcciion of barracks and the intro- 

 duclion of foreign armies. 



Other Lordsexprcsacd themselves' 

 for and apai^st the bill. 



Lord Siai::h(-pe, in particular, 

 tc ok occasion to speak w iih great 

 acrimony of iheslight and contempt 

 w ith \vlii( h sorue persons of ercalted 



rank 



